Language Arts

Phonics

Phonics training, begun in kindergarten, continues throughout each of the Lower School years. Phonics is taught using weekly spelling words as well as in daily reading. It is also reinforced through writing and hands-on manipulatives such as letter tiles and letter magnets.

By the second semester of the first grader children can read any book or story suitable to their individual interests. We place particular emphasis on the comprehension of general reading material which enriches the students' vocabulary and deepens their general knowledge base.

Spelling

Weekly spelling lessons and tests reinforce the phonics curriculum.

Writing

Grammar

Instruction in composition begins with a consistent and thorough examination of the structure of the complete sentence and progresses to the paragraph. Students throughout the Lower School learn to write using correct style, complete sentences, and proper punctuation and capitalization. In first grade, grammar is taught through daily dictation sentences as well as in daily reading exercises.

Although students in the first and second grades are instructed in grammatical topics, the formal study of English grammar begins in the second grade with a study of the parts of speech, usage, dictionary skills, syntax of the simple sentence, and related topics. The parsing of sentences and sentence classifying are important instructional tools in the third grade.

Institute of Excellence in Writing Program

We use the Institute for Excellence in writing program which, from the outset, develops organizational and stylistic methods which produce writing that is coherent and enjoyable to read.